Taiwan in 9 days
- Irene
- Sep 14
- 16 min read
Before I visited Taiwan, I knew it would be beautiful—but I didn’t expect to fall in love with it. From misty mountain villages and lush tea trails to vibrant night markets and rooftop city views, Taiwan surprised me at every turn. Over nine days, we explored the island’s rich history, tasted its unforgettable flavors, and navigated both sunshine and storms. And while our time there flew by, the memories linger like the scent of incense in a temple courtyard.
Whether you're planning your first trip or dreaming of a return, this itinerary blends iconic sights with hidden gems, practical tips, and personal moments that made our journey truly special. If you’re ready to discover a side of Asia that’s often overlooked but never underwhelming—Taiwan is waiting.
Taiwan travel itinerary
Day 1 – Taipei Arrival & Night Markets
Day 2 – Jiufen & Northern Taiwan Day Trip
Day 3 – Taipei City Highlights
Day 4 – Making the Most of a Rainy Taipei
Day 5 – Tainan
Day 6 – Shizhuo Tea Trails & Hikes
Day 7 – Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
Day 8 – Sun Moon Lake Exploration
Day 9 – Wenwu Temple & Departure
General advice: while a lot of people travel around the country by train, I found that some of the regions we really wanted to see were far easier to reach by car. Driving in Taiwan was quite easy, well signed and drivers were respectful. We rented the car from day 5 onwards as you don’t need it in Taipei and headed south. We rented the car from Hertz, as it seemed to be the only well-known rental company available at Taipei Airport. Note that someone will be waiting for you at the arrivals hall to drive you to the rental place.
It is also useful to note that in Taipei and Tainan, Uber works really well including to go to and back to the airport.
When you prepare your suitcase make sure you pack a raincoat, an umbrella and waterproof trainers as the rain in Taiwan can be unpredictable.
Best time to go: April and October are probably the best months to visit—warm but not too hot, with only occasional rain. We went in May and unfortunately we had 2 days of heavy rain – non-stop all day! and a couple of very overcast days as well.
Day 1: Taipei arrival and night markets
In Taipei we decided to stay at “the Mandarin Oriental”, which is an incredible hotel with huge rooms, a beautiful swimming pool and lovely staff. However, the area is not the most central so if you want to have more bars and restaurants around I recommend Ximending, but in general you will struggle to find hotels with a pool in this area.
One of the most typical things to do in Taipei is to go for dinner to a night market. We chose Ningxia Night Market. However, I have to confess that I did not enjoy the experience… it was super crowded and there was no place at all where you could stop or sit and eat, maybe we didn’t choose the best one to go to or simply this was not for me. Despite this, I’ve included the most famous markets you can go to in case you want to check them out:
Shilin Night Market: The largest and most famous, offering a wide variety of food stalls, clothing, and souvenirs. It's a great place for tourists to get a taste of Taipei's night market culture.
Raohe Night Market: Known for its variety of street food and more local atmosphere, it's often chosen by foodies seeking a more authentic experience.
Ningxia Night Market: A smaller, more traditional market with a focus on street food, particularly stinky tofu. It's known for being a more authentic and less tourist-centric market.
Nanjichang Night Market: A local favorite with a more affordable price range and a variety of unique food stalls.
Tonghua Night Market: Another local favorite with a wide variety of food stalls, often considered one of the best for street food in Taipei.
Day 2: Jiufen and surroundings
To visit this area of the north of Taipei you can either do it as a day trip from Taipei – (as we did) or add it at the beginning or the end of your road trip.
However, in my personal view, it makes more sense to do it as a day trip as this is literally in the opposite direction of the road trip and these are quite popular spots where it is quite hard to find parking. We hired this as a private tour and it was absolutely worth it. The tour cost us £197 for 3 adults and included the transport and guide with pick up from the hotel and stops at Yeh Liu Geo Park, Jiufen, Shifen Waterfall and Shifen Old Street.
Before booking this, I checked how to get to the area by public transport but it was quite complicated and time consuming having to take trains plus different buses.
As we went for the private tour option we decided the order of the stops and asked to go first to Jiufen as this is the most popular spot and didn’t want to be there when it was full of people. It takes only around 50 min to get here by car so we arrived quite early in the morning when some of the shops were not even open, but despite that, I’m happy that we were able to explore it when it was quite empty. Jiufen is a picturesque mountain village, known for its rich history as a former gold mining town and its charming, old-world atmosphere. It's famous for its narrow, lantern-lined streets, traditional teahouses, and stunning coastal views. Here we went to a tea house which is the most typical thing to do.
From here we went to Shifen Waterfall which is 35 min drive away. Shifen Waterfall is the broadest waterfall in Taiwan, measuring 40 meters wide and 20 meters high. You can enjoy various viewing platforms and a scenic walk to get to the waterfall which was lovely.
Just 5 min away by car you will arrive at Shifen Old Street. Shifen Old Street is famous with tourists as the spot for releasing sky lanterns. Visitors write wishes on lanterns and launch them into the sky. The street is also characterized by its close proximity to the railway tracks, creating a distinctive atmosphere where shops and eateries line the tracks.
The last stop of the day 40 mins away is Yeh Liu Geo Park. Yeh Liu Geo Park is renowned for its unique and fascinating rock formations shaped by years of sea erosion and weathering. These formations include the famous Queen's Head, mushroom rocks, candle rocks, and sea caves. From here back to Taipei is around 35 mins.
For dinner we went to “Fujin Tree Taiwanese Cuisine & Champagne” which has one Michelin star and the experience was fantastic. First of all, to find a table the best thing to do is ask the concierge at your hotel to book it for you. Despite it being a one Michelin star restaurant, in the menu they have dishes which are expensive but also many that in Europe would be considered a normal price. The experience was absolutely worth it and the clams in particular were incredible.
Day 3 - Taipei
On this day the first thing we did was to get our 48hr metro passes so we could use the metro as much as we needed it to do tourism. It is important to note that these ticket do not include city buses and can only be used for the tube. We paid per pass NT$280.
On our first day in Taipei we did the following:
Taipei 101 - we started the day by going first thing in the morning to Taipei 101 to avoid the crowds. The price of the ticket was around £15pp and it took us 1hr to visit. Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010, and its design incorporates elements inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, such as bamboo and pagodas, symbolizing strength and resilience. The building also features a large tuned mass damper [google.com] to withstand earthquakes and strong winds that are common in Taiwan.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall- after Taipei 101 we took the metro and in 20 mins we were at our next stop, The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. This memorial honors the former President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek. It features a large bronze statue of Chiang, a museum documenting his life and the history of Taiwan, and is surrounded by a park with the National Theater and National Concert Hall. It took us 1hr to visit.
Longshan Temple – from the previous point, it took 25 minutes to arrive to this famous temple which you can visit in 30 mins and entrance is for free. This is a renowned Taiwanese temple built in 1738, famous for its intricate architecture and rich history. It is a significant cultural and religious site, blending Buddhist, Taoist, and folk religious beliefs. The temple has been rebuilt multiple times due to natural disasters and war, yet it remains a popular place of worship and a vibrant cultural hub.
Near the temple we decided to go for lunch and walking through Xinfu Market we found a very cool place which unfortunately I can no longer find online but that was by No. 70, Sanshui St, Wanhua District.
Ximending – after lunch and only 15 mins by metro we went to Ximending which is a vibrant, trendy shopping and entertainment district. Ximending is characterized by bright lights, pop culture, and a bustling nightlife, offering a wide array of shops, street art, and entertainment options. Here you need to check the graffiti area and the red house.
For dinner, we went to a nice casual place which was recommended by the concierge at our hotel called “Hang Zhou Xiao Long Bao (Minsheng)” which was very good! The baos and the dumplings were exceptional and as good as the very famous ones of “Din Tai Fung”.
Day 4 – Taipei
This day unfortunately we had initially planned to go to Elephant Mountain which I was super excited about but it was hammering it down with rain all day—it was relentless!
Elephant Mountain is a popular hiking destination known for its panoramic views of the city and Taipei 101. The trail, is about 1.5 kilometres long, features a well-maintained stone staircase leading to various viewing platforms. The "Six Giant Rocks" area is a particularly iconic spot for photos.
Instead of going to the Elephant Mountain we tried to keep the day to inside activities so we started the day by going to the National Palace Museum.
National Palace Museum - Getting here is a bit complicated as there is no metro station nearby. To get here you can either take an uber all the way there or you can take the metro to Jiannan Rd station and here take an uber. The price per ticket is NT$350 and will take you at least 2 hr to see the collection.
The museum houses an extensive collection of nearly 700,000 Chinese art and historical artifacts, spanning 8,000 years of history. It's renowned for its collection of Chinese imperial art, much of which was relocated from the Forbidden City in Beijing during the Chinese Civil War. The museum's collection includes paintings, bronzes, ceramics, carvings, textiles, and books, representing various dynasties and periods.
The Grand Hotel – once we finished at the museum, we went to The Grand Hotel which is known for its Chinese palace-style architecture and historical significance. However, I have to say that in a sunny day I feel that you can skip this stop and spend time visiting other parts of the city.
After, we went to “Din Tai Fung Fuxing” for lunch. As you probably know, the most famous restaurant in Taipei is “Din Tai Fung” where you can eat the famous dumplings and baos. There are few around the city and we read that the one next to Taipei 101 was the busiest one so we avoided that one on purpose and went to the one in Fuxing. We arrived at 2pm and waited “only” 20 mins even though they told us it was going to be around 35 mins. The restaurant is inside a mall on level B2, as soon as you arrive go to the entrance counter so they add your details to the queue. I have to say that it was super nice and I loved the food there, even though it’s touristic it is something I would recommend to do.
The plan after was going to go to Dihua Street, a place to experience traditional Taiwanese culture, with shops selling Chinese herbs, fabrics, tea, and local craft, however as the weather was still really bad we decided to call it a day and go back to the hotel.
For dinner, we went for shabu shabu (a japanese hot pot where thinly sliced meat and vegetables are cooked at the table in a pot of simmering broth) which is very popular in Taiwan. We went to “Tajimaya Shabu Shabu” which was amazing but more on the fancy expensive side. If you want more affordable alternatives, “Wagyu Shabu Taipei Zhongxiao East Branch” and “ 石石鍋創 “ can be good options.
After dinner, as I was still very sad about the fact that we had not been able to go to Elephant Mountain, we decided to visit a rooftop bar to enjoy the views from above and have one last drink before leaving Taipei. We went to “YEN Bar 紫艷酒吧 “ and it was a great way to say goodbye to Taipei. Other alternatives for nice views that I found were:“FRANK Taipei” and “CÉ LA VI 台北 ”. Another cool bar but without the view is “PUN”.
Day 5 – Tainan
On your 5th day I would recommend to wake up early to go to the airport and pick up the rental car. From here, it will be 3 hours drive to Tainan. On the way you can stop at the Rainbow Village which is a vibrant and colorful village transformed by a former soldier named Huang Yung-Fu. Originally part of a military dependents' village, it was slated for demolition until Huang began painting the houses and alleyways with cheerful, whimsical designs. His art, inspired by family, friendship, happiness, and nature, attracted attention, and the village was saved from destruction.
In Tainan, I would recommend to stay at the “Grand Banyan Hotel” which is very well located, has a swimming pool and parking.
Once in Tainan, you can visit the following spots:
Tainan Confucius Temple - stablished in 1665, is the first Confucian temple in Taiwan and also served as the first public school in Taiwan, during the Qing Dynasty.
Chihkan Tower - originally built by the Dutch in the 1650s. It served as the administrative centre during the Dutch colonial period and later became a site of historical significance after being surrendered to Koxinga. The tower features a mix of Dutch and Chinese architectural styles.
Grand Matsu Temple - a significant temple dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. It holds historical and religious importance as the first official Mazu temple in Taiwan established under the Qing Dynasty. Originally the residence of Prince Ningjing, it was converted into a temple in 1683 to honor Mazu and appease the local population. The temple is known for its impressive Mazu statue, traditional architecture, and collection of historical artifacts.
After chilling for a bit by the swimming pool we went for dinner to “Zhu Xin Ju” which was an amazing experience. It’s a very authentic place with no menu where the family just serves you 8 dishes that they make daily. It is a mix of fish, tofu, beef, chicken all cooked Taiwanese style, absolutely delicious and really well priced.
Next to the restaurant go for a wander to Shennong Street which is a charming street famous for its well-preserved architecture, showcasing traditional buildings that reflect the city's rich cultural heritage. Around here I recommend you to check out some of the following bars: “We Drink Beer Company”, “Goin” or “Chilkan Pharmacy Bar”.
While Tainan does not have (in my view) that much sightseeing to see, it has a great vibe and very nice atmosphere of bars and restaurants so it is worth it to stop for a day.
Day 6 - Shizhuo
Day 6 was for me my favourite day by far! The whole reason that we rented a car was precisely to get to Shizhuo and it was absolutely worth it!
From Tainan it takes 1.45 hours to drive to Shizhuo. Shizhuo is known for the bamboo forests, tea farms, sunsets, and hikes.
At Shizuo, I would recommend to do 2 short hikes, we went for the Sunset trail and the Mist trail. To start the Sunset Trail look in google maps for “shizhaozixun station” where you can also park the car. For the Mist trail you can try to park near the Dingshizhuo Lookout.
Both hikes are steep at points but manageable with a clear marked path so you can do it with trainers, no hiking shoes required. It will take you 2 hours approximately to do both. The only difficulty I found with the walk was the heat… it was so hot and humid! So even though the walks are not very long they can feel like it because of the heat so make sure you have plenty of water with you. If you are going during blossom season I would recommend to add the Sakura trail so you can see the cherry blossom as well.
In both trails you will have incredible panoramic views, you will walk along the tea farms and cross bamboo forests – all of this with barely any people there… In our case most of the time we were alone which was incredible! I absolutely loved it here definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Taiwan.
For lunch you can go to “Saiji Tea House”.
After lunch we headed towards Alishan which it was our next stop on the itinerary and spent the night inside the national park. Now, a controversial opinion—but I wouldn’t recommend staying inside of the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. We did stay there and was in my view a mistake. There is absolutely nothing there to do and only two restaurants that close extremely early so once you have finish with dinner there is nothing else to do. On top of that the hotels are definitely not the best. If I had known all of this before, I would have stayed at “Hotel Indigo Alishan” and then go early in the morning to the national park.
Day 7 - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
We decided to visit Alishan National Forest Recreation Area because Taroko National Park was mostly closed when we were in Taiwan due to an earthquake the year before. Given that Alishan is only 45 mins away from Shizhuo we thought it was a good spot to add to the itinerary.
I would note that if you come from Europe or the US this might not be the most impressive site of Taiwan as this is basically a forest and I would say that you can find similar in Europe or the US but still it was a nice way to spend half a day. It is also worth mentioning the fact that this area is very high up and temperatures drop substantially here so definitely pack a jacket and long trousers for this part of the trip.
Visiting Alishan can be a bit tricky so this is the main information that you should know
The ticket price is 300twd per adult + 100twd per car + 100twd per ticket for the train that runs inside the park
The parking lot is not very big and by 10 am was already full so it is important that you arrive early
However, the train inside the park that takes you back and from the main trail does not start until 9 am
What we did – and I would actually recommend to do is to walk from the parking by foot to the start of trail instead of waiting for the train. This only takes 20 min and if you arrive to the beginning of the trail by 9 that means that you’ll already have a head start compared to everyone that is taking the train and will be practically alone doing the walk! We are fast walkers in general and took us to do the main trail 1.30 hours. Depending on your rhythm or if you deviate from the main path might take you 2 to 3 hours.
Once we finished at Alishan we drove to Sun Moon Lake the last stop of our trip which was 2.30 hours away.
In Sun Moon Lake, there are 2 main towns to stay at; Shuishe and Ita Thao. We chose Ita Thao because they have a food market and the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway which we wanted to do.
The hotel we chose was “Wyndham Sun Moon Lake” which was absolutely fantastic, I cannot recommend it enough, the location, the décor, the big super comfortable rooms… 10 out of 10 experience.
As we arrived at lunch time, we went to the food market for lunch and in this occasion I did enjoy the market atmosphere and food a lot! I think it was because it was not that crowded so it was easy to walk around and order food.
We spent the afternoon chilling by the pool.
For dinner we went to “The Shao”, which is the restaurant at the Wyndham hotel and it was fantastic! Food was so good, atmosphere so classy…
Day 8 – Sun Moon Lake
This was unfortunately the other day that we had a lot of rain… which was a shame as the lake has a very summer activity vibe going on that unfortunately we could not experience.
We tried to make the best out of a bad situation and still visited a couple of spots:
Ci'en Pagoda – which when it isn’t raining has stunning views of the lake. It was built by Chiang Kai-shek in 1971 in memory of his mother, the 46-meter tall pagoda offers panoramic views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Visitors can climb the 12 stories to the top for breathtaking scenery, especially during sunrise or sunset.
Ropeway cable car - this is a scenic cable car connecting Sun Moon Lake with the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. The ride offers panoramic views of the lake and surrounding mountains, taking about 7-10 minutes. The ropeway is a popular way to access the cultural village and enjoy the scenery. While I would not go to the village, I would still take it (on a nice day) to enjoy the views of the lake. The price of a return ticket is NT$380.
On a sunny day there are many more things that you can do here such as take the boat that connects the main towns, rent a pedalo, rent bikes and cycle around the shore or have a walk.
For lunch two good spots in different parts of the lake depending on what activities you chose to do in the morning are: “ 眺 Tiao 日月潭|簡餐|咖啡|包場場地(無訂位) “ or “Nomad day café”.
For dinner, we weren’t very adventurous and because we liked “The Shao” restaurant so much we simply went back there.
Day 9 - Wenwu temple and departure
On our last day we decided to do one final stop before heading back to the airport and we went to visit Wenwu temple.
Wenwu temple is a large, impressive temple complex overlooking Sun Moon Lake, dedicated to the civil and martial gods of China. Originally established in 1938 and rebuilt in its current grandeur in 1969, it houses shrines to the God of Literature, the God of War (Lord Guan and Lord Yue), and Confucius.
Wenwu temple 
Wenwu temple 
Wenwu temple 
Wenwu temple 
Wenwu temple
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